Below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly

Abstract

A below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly includes a hand; an arm connected to the hand; a cylinder connected to the arm; and a string connected to the rear end of the cylinder. To start using the prosthetic arm, the user's amputated upper limb is enclosed by the cylinder and tied thereto with a string. The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly further includes an expansion kit adapted to meet the user's needs in daily lives, learning and sports. The expansion kit is directly fitted to the hand. Function expansion is achieved without removing the hand. Therefore, the below-elbow prosthetic arm exhibits enhanced ease of use and minimizes the user's financial burdens which might otherwise arise from ordering customized prosthetic arms for use in different activities.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly, comprising:
 a hand;   an arm connected to a rear end of the hand;   a cylinder connected to a rear end of the arm;   a holder connected to a rear end of the cylinder and to a string; and   at least one expansion kit comprising a hand fitting portion and a function expansion portion, with the hand fitting portion being fitted to the hand.   
     
     
         2 . The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the expansion kit comprises a dining component, and the function expansion portion of the dining component is a base dented to form a bowl chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly of  claim 2 , wherein a friction layer is coupled to an inner surface of the bowl chamber of the expansion kit. 
     
     
         4 . The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the expansion kit comprises a paperweight component, and the function expansion portion of the paperweight component is a block, with a flat surface being formed at a bottom of the block. 
     
     
         5 . The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly of  claim 4 , wherein a soft pad is coupled to the flat surface at the bottom of the block. 
     
     
         6 . The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the expansion kit comprises a sports component, and the function expansion portion of the sports component is a sleeve that tilts. 
     
     
         7 . The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a shaft is connected to a rear end of the hand and fitted to a positioning disk, with first slots being formed at a circumferential edge of the positioning disk, and the arm has therein a hollow-core chamber, with a through hole being disposed at a front end of the arm and being in communication with the chamber, wherein the shaft connected to the hand is penetratingly disposed at the through hole disposed at the front end of the arm, with the positioning disk being disposed in the chamber, with a first tenon being formed on the wall of the chamber to engage with any one first slot of the positioning disk. 
     
     
         8 . The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the arm has therein a hollow-core chamber, with a through hole being disposed at the rear end of the arm and being in communication with the chamber, with the chamber having a cylinder fitting portion positioned proximate to the through hole at the rear end of the arm, with a polygonal fitting hole being disposed at a center of the cylinder fitting portion, with at least one penetrating hole penetrating a sidewall of the arm and thus being in communication with the polygonal fitting hole, with a polygonal fitting block being disposed at a front end of the cylinder, with at least one fastening hole being disposed on a lateral side of the polygonal fitting block to allow the front end of the cylinder to be inserted into the through hole at the rear end of the arm and fitted inside the chamber of the arm, wherein the polygonal fitting block disposed at the front end of the cylinder is fitted to the polygonal fitting hole of the arm, and the fastening hole disposed on the lateral side of the polygonal fitting block corresponds in position to the penetrating hole of the arm, with at least one fastening element being penetratingly disposed at the penetrating hole of the arm and fastened to the fastening hole of the polygonal fitting block of the cylinder. 
     
     
         9 . The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly of  claim 1 , wherein connection ribs are disposed between the holder and the cylinder and each have two ends coupled to the holder and the cylinder, respectively. 
     
     
         10 . The below-elbow prosthetic arm assembly of  claim 1 , wherein an axial hole is disposed on a side of the holder, and second slots are formed in the wall of the axial hole, wherein second tenons are formed at the bottom of a coiling drum to engage with the second slots of the axial hole, and the coiling drum is connected to an axle, wherein the holder is covered with a cover and coupled thereto to hide the coiling drum, the cover having a rotation hole, the axle being penetratingly disposed at the rotation hole, wherein a knob is disposed on an outer side of the cover and fitted to the axle, wherein an end of a cord is fitted to the coiling drum, and another end of the cord is inserted into the arm and connected to branch cords, wherein the hand has a palm connected to fingers, and the branch cords are penetratingly connected to the fingers of the hand, respectively.